Technical Abstract:
During research examining Campylobacter jejuni-specific bacteriophage a C. jejuni flagellum-specific phage PV22 from Proteus vulgaris was identified. This phage interacted with C. jejuni by attachment followed by translocation of the phage to the polar region of the bacterium up to the point of DNA injection. Electron microscopic examination revealed adsorption of PV22 on C. jejuni flagella after a five minute incubation of the phage and bacteria. A different phenomenon was observed after incubating the mix under the same conditions, but for a longer time period. Phage accumulated, mainly, on the surface of cells at sites where flagella originated. Interestingly, PV22 did not inject DNA into C. jejuni. The constant of velocity of PV22 adsorption on cells was 7X10-9 ml/min. Phage PV22 did not produce plaques of lysis on medium containing C. jejuni cells. At the same time, it was demonstrated by a spot test that the growth of C. jejuni was reduced relative to control bacteria in the region of phage application. Another observation was that PV22-treated C. jejuni cells appeared to lose their capability for chemotaxis. Based on preliminary observations it was hypothesized that phage PV22 interacted with H. pyloris in a similar manner. Consequently, there may be two interesting applications of this effect. First, it may be possible to test phage PV22 as an antimicrobial agent to control C. jejuni colonization of the chicken intestine. Second, the phage could potentially be utilized for investigating biogenesis of Campylobacter jejuni flagella.